A Menace and a Pesk
by Senkam
Summary: Ben finds the code for the Omnitrix's Master Control through good old-fashioned trial and error, and decides to learn more about Pesky Dust, and about life in Undertown. Fortunately, he has a plan to let him do both. Rating may change.
1. Master Control

**I do not own Ben 10.**

* * *

Right, left, right, right, right, left, right, right, right, left, left, left. Pause.

Nothing.

Ben groaned in frustration, adding yet another line to the tally. He'd been here forever, trying every single combination he could think of to unlock the master control. He was in the secret base under his garage, a room usually lit up by the strip light on the ceiling, but right now the only light was the dull green emitted by the Omnitrix.

"Come on, the code can't be that long! 1 to 12 digits is 8190 combinations! One of them has to be right!"

Right, left, right, right, right, left, right, right, left, right, right, right. Pause.

Nothing.

He even had a system for this: treat it like binary, right was 0, left was 1. He was up to 010001001000 in binary, and while he couldn't tell what that was without going Grey Matter, he knew that it was a _lot_ of attempts. He had been doing it over the course of several weeks, after all.

Right, left, right, right, right, left, right, right, left, right, right, left. 010001001001.

Pause.

"Master Control access pending. Sampling DNA. DNA sampled. One match. Omnimatrix Master Control granted to Benjamin Kirby Tennyson. Please provide new security protocols."

There was silence for a moment. He'd unlocked the master control several times before, but this time it seemed... Different. Like it was going to _stay_ this way.

He was also having difficulty believing that he'd unlocked the master control _before_ setting the watch to self-destruct. Again.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "Okay, how about... 'In the event that the Omnitrix is removed from my wrist, disable Master Control.' How's that?"

"Protocol accepted."

Ben stared at the watch. "Is it really that easy? I mean I know it was just a code, and I was bound to get it at some point, but shouldn't there be some kind of issue stopping me from using this, or an alien attack that forces me to give up the master control or risk my friends' lives?" There was silence for a moment, and he shrugged. "Okay then, XLR8."

Even without hitting the Omnitrix, there was a flash of green light and XLR8 sat in the chair that Ben had occupied. "Yes! Take that, Azmuth! No more turning into Pesky Dust when I want Humungousaur! Fat fingers my stripey black and blue tail! Ben!"

There was another flash and the normal, human Ben Tennyson was once again in his chair. He looked at the watch again, but it made no comment as he almost expected it to. "Er, what else can you do?"

"List Omnitrix functions or modes?"

"...Let's go with modes, I guess. And give me descriptions."

"Active mode: Allows the user to transform, using samples from one or many specimens of an alien species, by selecting the required species from a list. This mode has several variations, which show the list of species in different manners. This mode is enabled.

Recharge mode: A safety measure, created to prevent loss of identity through overuse of the Omnitrix. This mode becomes unnecessary over time. This mode was disabled with the access of Master Control. Re-enable?"

"No! I mean, no. Do not re-enable recharge mode. It's given me nothing but trouble so far, and I think I've been a hero for long enough that I won't need it."

"Confirmed.

Scan mode: Scans DNA of nearby sapient species, usually to add their DNA to the Omnitrix database. DNA is stored in a computerised format in the Omnitrix device itself, in contrast to previous models of the Omnitrix. This function is set to activate automatically in the presence of an unknown species or damaged genetic material.

Randomizer mode: This mode has several different variations. This mode may be used to randomize any of the following: all species stored in the Omnitrix, all species previously used by the Omnitrix, a pre-defined list of species stored in the Omnitrix, the time and date transformed into a species, the time spent as a species, the DNA used for a species-"

"Wait, explain that last one?"

The Omnitrix paused, and Ben could only imagine an annoyed sigh like the ones that Azmuth gave him. "All alien species with DNA samples from more than one source may have their genetic code randomized and stored as a new transformation. The original transformation will be kept unless stated otherwise by the user."

Ben frowned, rubbing his chin in thought. "How are transformations picked usually?"

"A degree of randomization is used for species with dissimilar properties to the user, but transformations are usually created by adapting the user's DNA to the chosen species."

"Okay, so it's a little random but mostly just me... So say Kevin got the Omnitrix, how would his aliens look in comparison?"

"Kevin Ethan Levin's transformations would be taller and wider, and such species as Tetramands would be far more powerful with his DNA."

Ben flicked the Omnitrix in annoyance. "So which aliens would _I_ be stronger as?"

There was another pause, and Ben tapped his foot impatiently. "Your Kineceleran form and similar species would be better built for speed and thus faster. Species that do not rely on physical strength would also be more powerful. For example, your Galvan form would be able to think faster and more strategically, while Kevin's Galvan form would be less effective owing to his stubborn nature. You would have more control over certain species' powers, most notably the Nemuina."

"So I make a better fairy than Kevin?" Ben grumbled irritably, but his frown turned into a smirk. "Exactly what powers do Nemuinas... Nemuina? Nemuini?"

"Nemuina," The watch supplied helpfully, and Ben waved it off.

"What powers do they have? I haven't seen much besides sleeping powder."

"Nemuina have the ability to send opponents to sleep, and to manipulate their dreams to obtain everything from blackmail material to information. They can project an opponent's dreams for others to see and cause hallucinations in tired opponents. Skilled Nemuina can manipulate dreams to harm an opponent's physical body, hypnotize an opponent, send multiple opponents into a collective dream, send opponents to sleep with song, eye contact or movements, and send an opponent to sleep in a way that makes them feel like they are awake and in control. Lesser advantages include weak plant control, flight, higher than average speed, a small stature that enables them to hit pressure points similarly to a Galvin, a naturally calm personality and an instinctual ability to multitask stemming from their total control of dreams."

Ben blinked. "All that power in one alien? Why aren't they ruling the world already?"

"Nemuina have several weaknesses. They are not combat-oriented, and are susceptible to opponents that do not sleep, such as Galileans. They cannot produce an infinite supply of sleeping powder, and other methods of forcing sleep are time-consuming and draining. They are vulnerable to fire, ice, the void of space, and several other common hazards, and their wings are especially fragile. They cannot fly in strong winds or extreme heat or cold."

Ben didn't react when the Omnitrix stopped talking. He knew that he was a little rash and judgemental, but he'd just dismissed Pesky Dust as a joke when Blukic and Driba had unlocked it by accident, just because it looked feminine and weak. He wondered if the other aliens they'd unlocked could be any good, but he crushed down the thought. Right now, he was going to focus on Pesky Dust.

* * *

After hours of laying on his bed, just thinking, Ben came to a conclusion.

He needed to learn how alien society worked. More importantly, how it worked when you _were'nt_ a world-famous superhero. He honestly had no clue how Undertown functioned. Was there a real-estate agent? Did you just pick a cave and live in it? Did more alien shops use different currencies, or did everyone use taydens?

Ben had no idea, and as someone who regularly visited Undertown, he really ought to know more about the place.

He was still going to learn more about Pesky Dust, but-

"But what if I do both at the same time?" he finished, glancing down at the Omnitrix. "Hey, that last randomizer setting makes new versions of the same alien, right?"

"Correct," the synthesized voice replied immediately, and Ben nodded.

"Okay, make a backup for Pesky Dust's DNA."

"Please provide calling name for the backup."

"Go with Pepsy Dust, it's ironic," Ben said distractedly. The Omnitrix beeped, turning blue for a moment before it went back to its regular green.

"Backup successful. Randomize the DNA for Pesky Dust now?"

"You read my mind," Ben grinned, then he blinked. "Uh, literally?"

"Correct," it said again, and he shrugged. How else could he have transformed without saying anything back when he unlocked the original Omnitrix's master control? Really, he should have been expecting it. "Randomizing DNA... Complete. Transform into Pesky Dust?"

"Yes."

The flash of green light had become second nature by now, but the feeling of changing never really had; every transformation felt completely different from every other one. Ripjaws felt cold, Four Arms was tingly, and Pesky Dust was sort of numb.

Not the new Pesky Dust though. His mouth felt hot, like he'd been eating chili fries, but at the same time it was like he was drinking his favorite grape smoothie - the one from _before_ he'd rewritten the universe and inadvertently ruined it. He felt like he was sat in a warm bath, relaxed and warm as could be.

It was everything that he loved about his favorite transformations: the warmth of Heatblast, the stretching of Humungousaur, the pure Power of Feedback, all heaped into a little pixie thing around three feet tall.

Then it was over, and the new Pesky Dust lay on Ben's bed, panting softly. One of those sensations he could deal with, but all of them at once had overloaded him entirely.

Sleep was looking really good right about now...

* * *

Ben didn't want to get up. He was too warm to even consider moving, like he was covered in the thickest quilt ever.

His mouth also tasted faintly of chili fries and grape smoothie...

He forced his eyes open, the memories of master control flooding back to him, and groaned. Of course it was all a dream. The universe would never allow him to-

His thoughts shut down when he tried to wriggle his toes. It was a habit of his to do that when he woke up, but this time... This time, there weren't as many toes to wriggle.

He just lay there for several minutes, trying to come up with an explanation. He _never_ stayed alien when he was unconscious, so why did he feel so different?

He went through his memories, still lying on his criminally soft bed. Had he really unlocked the master control?

"Confirmed," a robotic voice sounded from his chest-area, startling him. Of course it could read his mind... But that didn't answer the question of what he was. "You are currently in the form of Pesky Dust, a transformation created through the randomization of Nemuina DNA."

"But that means- Yes!" Pesky Dust cheered happily. "Operation Dust Down is a go!"

* * *

It was a perfect plan, except for the part where he had to execute it.

Grandpa Max sighed. "Alright, but a month at most. We still need you here, Ben. I know I can't stop you from having this time off, and quite frankly you've earned it, but I'm glad you at least came to talk to me about it." Ben grinned and hugged his grandfather, who returned it happily. "Just be careful. You are world-famous now, after all. You can pass off the Omnitrix logo as a plumbers badge in your alien forms, but some people will recognize you, especially if you turn into an extinct alien like Cannonbolt."

"I'll keep that in mind, but..." Ben held up his left arm, showing off the watch. "I have an idea for how to get some peace."

He slammed his hand down on the core of the watch, thinking of Big Chill, and the familliar green light was accompanied by a sudden cold in the back of his head.

"Big Chill? I was going for ChamAlien," he lied, and Grandpa Max chuckled.

"Good thinking, but maybe you should wait until sundown for that. It's late afternoon now, so the long shadows would easily give you away. Either way, you can at least make a start now as Big Chill."

Big Chill nodded, then turned to Rook. "Sorry to spring this on you, partner-"

"That is fine," Rook assured him. "I had been attempting to find time for some of my own activities, and now seems to be as good a time as any. Which reminds me... Magister Tennyson, you would not happen to know of anywhere that I can get a new set of reparation tools, would you?"

"Old set broken by Ben?"

Rook nodded. "How did you know?"

"Happens all the time," Max replied, pressing a button, and a toolbox was suddenly on the table, with no explanation for how it got there. "I happen to keep spares now."

Big Chill had the decency to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. "It's really not that bad," he defended himself, but Rook shook his head.

"From what I have seen of you so far, it is indeed that bad," he said with finality. "Thank you for the tools, Magister Tennyson, and goodbye for now, Ben."

"See you around. Time to blow this popsicle stand." And with that, he melted through the floor, leaving only a small patch of ice in his wake.

Max sighed and turned back to Rook. "He's up to something," he said matter-of-factly.

"I agree, but if Ben is being so secretive, I am sure he must have a good reason. The Omnitrix was behaving a little... off, when he used it just now."

That caught Max's attention, and he frowned at the one deactivated screen in the room. "Off in what regard?" he pressed.

"The sound was different. Usually when Ben transforms, there is a sound as he presses the button on the Omnitrix, but this time it sounded as if he was hitting the Omnitrix's faceplate instead. Also, he did not scroll through his list of alien creatures as he usually does. As I have never seen Ben as this ChamAlien that he spoke of, I can only assume that he did not intend to change into ChamAlien as he said, because the Omnitrix would not default on an alien that has not been used recently."

"You picked up on it too, huh?" Max muttered. "Putting the facts together, we know that Ben didn't press the button to change his form like he usually does. Either he's having more problems with the Omnitrix, or he's unlocked the master control again. I'm willing to bet on the latter, which can only mean trouble."

* * *

Ben sat down on his bed, then kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his boxers. It was time to put his plan in action, and if turning into Pesky Dust was going to knock him out again, he wanted to at least be comfortable. Once he'd lain down and thrown the covers over himself, he braced himself and said, "Pesky Dust."

The perfect blend of tastes was in his mouth again. His body felt warm and the aches and pains of all his previous fights melted off him. His chest felt like it was bursting, and his fingers tickled with Power.

He didn't fight it, but unlike last time, he managed to stay awake after the transformation had ended, and all the best feelings in the world stayed with him. He panted for a good minute afterwards, but he was soon almost back to normal, with only a light-headed feeling to the contrary.

"So far, so good," he murmured, looking to the Plumber badge that had appeared on his chest. Omnitrix, make this my base form so I can't be turned to human by accident."

"Setting Pesky Dust to the default form. Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, the previous default, will be unlocked for use in Active mode. Proceed?"

Pesky Dust blinked, then snickered. "I'm gonna put myself in the Omnitrix? Awesome! I'm an alien!"

"You have been many alien creatures since acquisition of the original Omnitrix," the watch almost-snarked, "and from a certain point of view, humans are already aliens."

"You know what I mean. Proceed!"

"Proceeding. Estimated time remaining: Three hours. Other commands may not be performed during this time."

"Three hours? Guess it'll give me a chance to get used to my new form," Pesky Dust supposed. "Now where's that mirror that I keep around?"

* * *

As it turned out, Nemuina were very varied. Pesky Dust was shorter and stockier than her- _his_ predecessor.

One thing that didn't change was how girly they looked, and it was messing with his use of pronouns.

The new form's skin was lavender-colored rather than the pale blue of the original, and the pink markings on his face were replaced by two blush marks of a darker tone. His hair had a fringe that covered his pale blue eyes, which were still ringed with black.

His wings were a really major change. The top pair was much larger than it had been before, and were a dark blue color. The pattern on those was the same color as his eyes and made of segments, which were squarer than before, and the bigger segment on each side had a notch in, where the darker blue spiked into the pattern. The bottom wings were around the same size as they had been, but their pattern involved a large number of different sized blue bubbles.

The new Pesky Dust wore the same green and black dress that Pepsy Dust did, with the Plumber badge on his chest, green as it always was. He'd almost expected it to copy his eye color, but it didn't really matter either way.

"The Omnitrix is unable to complete default transformation change in the user's current state. Switching to the most stable available transformation in three. Two. One." There was a flash of green light and Feedback was lying in the bed, one of his plugs sticking uncomfortably into his back. He pulled on his antenna and shifted his weight to the side, relaxing when he felt it move out of the way.

"You know, you could have told me which alien I was gonna turn into," Feedback grumbled. The watch didn't reply.

"Estimated time remaining: Two hours, thirty minutes."

Feedback sighed, which sounded more like static than breathing. It was going to be a long evening.

* * *

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

That was a rubber band ball that Ben had dug out of storage. If he remembered correctly, and he usually did, he'd made it back when he was 11, and the watch was taking its time recharging after several hours as two separated Dittos thanks to a car accident on a cliff.

There was a load of other gems scattered across the floor: Things like an ultra-rare golden Sumo Slammers card that he'd put away for safe keeping, or the first hoverboard that he'd ever had, which barely supported him anymore. That was one of the changes he'd inadvertently made to the universe when he rebuilt it, not letting his first hoverboard die before its time.

"Estimated time remaining: Three seconds. Two seconds. One second. Default transformation change complete. Recharge mode will be enabled for one hour."

Feedback barely had time to process that before he was engulfed in all the happy feelings and the green light, and Pesky Dust, already tired from a long day, could barely stay awake afterwards. "What is it with this Omnitrix giving me just three seconds of warning?" he complained to nobody in particular, and the watch didn't answer. And come to think of it...

"Well, so much for form-fitting," he muttered, lifting his arm and watching the watch slide past his skinny elbow. "That happened when-"

"The Omnitrix has been removed from the user's wrist. Master Control Disabled."

"...Oh sugar, that isn't good."

* * *

 **Haha, plot twist. He's stuck as a pixie thing.**

 **A couple of clarifications: Ben still has the original Pesky Dust transformation, which he's calling Pepsy Dust. This is before he reveals the name Pesky Dust in the show, so he's using that name for the randomized Nemuina form.**

 **This is supposed to come right after For a Few Brains More. Since time between episodes is difficult to judge, just assume that Max's Monster won't be happening for a while.**

 **The reason that the Omnitrix disabled was that since Pesky Dust is the default form now, that's the one with the watch. Going by Arrested Development, the watch doesn't resize properly, so it slips off Pesky Dust's wrist and up his arm, deactivating Master Control as per the security protocol that he set up (which had been added by Azmuth in the hopes that Ben would be mature enough to set his own boundaries).**

 **It's probably a little hard to follow, since I was coming up with the idea for this fic on the fly. Anyway, reviews are appreciated and all that jazz. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Housing

For several minutes, Pesky Dust just lay on his bed in a daze. It was almost half an hour later that he finally made any movement besides breathing, sitting cross-legged on his bed in an unnatural calm.

"...I can't believe that happened," he whispered, and it came out as Pesky Dust's high-pitched squeak. "That has to be top ten in the most unfortunate circumstances list, at least..."

He pulled the watch off his arm and gave it a once-over. "At least I don't need it for the plan, I suppose. A Nemuina with an Omnitrix would be a bit suspicious. Omnitrix, you there? Any information you can give me?" There was no answer and he sighed, collapsing back onto his pillow and letting the covers fall onto him.

Then he felt his stomach rumble. "What am I supposed to eat, anyway?" he complained loudly in the hope that some random stranger would answer him. Since he was still in his bedroom-slash-secret-base-slash-garage, though, he was altogether glad when the hypothetical stranger didn't answer.

He hopped out of bed, feeling the quilt brush against his gigantic wings, and picked up the mirror to look at himself again.

The first thing he noticed was the new clothing. He wore a skirt made of what looked like blue leaves, and a chest-wrap in the same color. As he'd expected, the Omnitrix symbol wasn't on his chest anymore as the watch was still on the bed.

He stuck out his thin blue tongue, then pulled on it on a hunch, and two feet more of tongue came out of his mouth before he felt a tug on his throat and stopped. "I guess that settles it," he mused, "I drink nectar. I kinda doubt that's all I can have though. Now what would there be to eat on an alien planet?"

He thought for a few seconds, but couldn't come up with anything, so he instead wondered where he could get nectar; he doubted that regular flowers would be enough to support a Nemuina, and he also wasn't keen on licking plants.

There was a Nemuina in Undertown though, wasn't there? He'd heard someone calling them Lillimusha. They had to survive somehow, and if there were more Nemuina there, there had to be a vendor to sell them nectar, right?

"Guess there's only one way to find out," he muttered, grabbing the watch off the bed. "Wonder if this'll still work... And if it does, I need to resize it for my hand, so maybe I should go Grey Matter to fix it..."

The Omnitrix started up as usual, even though it was loose around his hand, and he scrolled through the list of aliens. He paused when he noticed a head that looked suspiciously like his human form's, but set that aside for later and instead went for Grey Matter.

With a flash of green light, he was suddenly much taller than he had been, and he sighed in annoyance, a staticky sound that reminded him of the alien's abilities. "I _guess_ Upgrade could work too, but I've never actually tried to upgrade the Omnitrix. Oh well, first time for everything!"

With that, he collapsed into the Omnitrix symbol, which immediately grew spider-like legs, a couple of blasters, and a sword that looked more like a knife by the size. There was a pause, then a click, and Upgrade reformed, looking as smug as a faceless blob of goop possibly could. The timeout sounded, and Pesky Dust stood once again, watch in hand, and slipped it onto his wrist.

"Recallibrating... Complete," the synthesized voice said, and its owner shrank to fit snugly on his wrist. He admired his handiwork for a second, then unclipped the watch and hid it in the same box that its prototype had once occupied.

"Glad that's over," he sighed, then leapt into the air and failed to fall back to the ground thanks to the dust following him. "Now to get me some lunch!"

* * *

The road to Undertown was still rarely used by humans. Although they were aware of Undertown's existence and had been for a while, not many people had the knowledge or use of anything down there, and even fewer had a job that paid in the Taydens that all the mainstream shops there accepted. Those aliens that stayed in Undertown rarely had a reason to leave either, as the community there was almost self-sustaining.

As such, there was nobody around when Pesky Dust flew into the hole that led to the city of aliens, so he passed through to the city itself with no trouble at all.

Once he got in, though, was another matter. He had absolutely no idea where to go first, and it wasn't like he could just show up out of nowhere with his money in Taydens - not that he had the pockets to put them in anyway.

He'd been wondering around for a little over ten minutes when he was stopped by someone, and when he turned, he saw a chubby Splixson with a beard that looked very out of place.

"Ya seem lost, lady," he said in a gruff voice, and Pesky Dust nodded, deciding not to correct him on his gender.

"I only just got here... On the advice of Ben Tennyson," he trilled unsurely, rubbing his feet together as he floated an inch off the ground. The Ditto's face hardened instantly, but he smiled again when Pesky recoiled away from him.

"Nah, I ain't blamin' you for that kid's destruction to public an' private property. That's all on him. Name's Sever Tam, an' I'm the guy ya come to when you wanna get a place in Undertown. I dig the caves, an' you pay me once you start gettin' income. Lookin' for a place, or just havin' a look around the market?"

"W-well, it's kinda-" Pesky cut himself off, thinking things through. His original plan had been to turn semi-permanently into Pesky so he could figure out how Undertown worked, but without the Master Control, it was starting to look like he'd be here longer than he expected. "Um, how much does it cost to get a cave?"

"Only fifty Taydens, an' you get a month to pay it," Sever grinned when Pesky's eyes widened and he dropped to the floor, flight forgotten in his shock. "Pretty good deal, ain't it?"

He could even pay that off right now! Granted, it would murder his savings in cold blood, but that meant that he wouldn't need to worry about paying it off if a push came to a shove, and after a month of staying here, he'd be able to use those savings without suspicion.

"There has to be some kind of catch..."

Sever rubbed his claws together with a screech, and Pesky noted that Ditto could use that in the future. "Tough customer, eh? Take a shot."

"Uh... Collapse?"

"Walls are reinforced free."

"Rooms?"

"Kitchen, bedroom, living an' dining room, bathroom, and storage."

"Size?"

"36 squared meters in total, up to ten meters high depending on preference."

"Let's make two meters, I guess. Plumbing?"

"That an' electricity if ya need it. Bathroom stuff comes free an' tailored for your species, an' electricity costs twenny more Tayden. Other than that, it's only maintainence costs for the pumps."

"Um... Hidden costs?"

"Don't pay in the month an' it's one Tayden per extra day. Other than that, it's a straightforward deal."

"Location?"

"Anywhere in the residential district that ain't belongin' to someone else." Sever turned away and motioned with a clawed hand. "Here, I know a good place fer a Nemuina. Your kind loves plantlife, right?"

Pesky shrugged. "I guess? I've never met another one, but I'm pretty sure I need-"

"Nectar and Cheshire eggs, I know." Pesky looked up at him in surprise, and he grinned back, wrongly guessing the reason for the surprise. "I already got a plantation of 'em going for Lillimusha DiForestini, in case her garden gets ruined. An' tell ya what, for another ten Taydens, I'll give you a couple so you can grow your own. I won' even stop ya for selling the spares - you need to have _some_ way to pay me back after all!"

He laughed harshly, then turned a corner and led Pesky straight into a dead end. "What gives?" Pesky asked in confusion, but Sever shushed him.

"Just listen," he hissed, so Pesky did. For a second he couldn't hear anything, but then...

He listened closer, and what he'd at first barely heard as a whisper turned into a very distant roar of flowing water. Sever cocked his head to the side and Pesky duly stepped backwards as he split into four identical clones.

"You still thinkin',"

"or do you-"

"wanna have a home here?" The three copies asked, smiling in a way that Pesky always did as Ditto. He nodded, and the real Sever grinned.

"Good."

They started on what was obviously a doorway first, chipping away at the rock with their claws to make a rectangular hole which was barely big enough for the human Ben to crawl through, but which Pesky could walk or fly through without any trouble. Then they split into several more copies, and the construction project was underway.

* * *

It was less than five minutes later when Sever's head popped out of the ground. "Cave's done," he spoke quickly. "Got an appointment so I gotta dash, haaaaave fun!"

And with that, he was gone. Pesky sighed, wondering why he couldn't have just split himself, and turned towards the doorway, which had had a door attached when he wasn't looking. A silver key was hanging from the door handle by a loop of string, and he shrugged and hung it around his neck instead, opening the door to let himself in.

It was incredible. Sure, it wasn't the prettiest home in the world, but Sever had made this in five minutes, and it still looked better than half the houses above ground. It was decorated in blue, and while he usually would've preferred green and either black or white, he had to admit that it was a nice change from the norm, and worked with the orange-ish rock and lighting.

Some metal supports crisscrossed along the ceiling, with a single vertical beam in each room to stop the cave from collapsing. The odd ways that the beams reflected the room's light were interesting and fun to look at.

The bedroom and living room were as he'd expected; there was a bed, albeit a small one, in the bedroom, and there was a similarly tiny sofa in the living room, along with a dining table with a chair that he'd use and several that he wouldn't. The kitchen was smaller than he'd expected, even with his diminutive size, but he realised that it was because nectar wasn't something to be cooked, and the 'Cheshire eggs' that sounded more like plants than eggs didn't seem like they'd need cooking either. The storage room was bigger than he would have guessed, but he supposed aliens had bigger things to store, like armor, lazer guns and weird sock collections.

The bathroom looked fairly normal at first glance, with a bath and a sink, but what was most likely the toilet was completely unrecognizable. It was _not_ going to be fun trying to work out how to use what was essentially a grabber claw to go to the toilet.

There wasn't much else in the cave itself, but a double door at the back of the living room caught his attention, so he pushed it open.

Then he was standing on a wooden balcony, looking down on what he could only describe as a vast underground jungle. The roaring water turned out to be a waterfall of epic proportions that fell from somewhere unseen, slamming into a gigantic lake hundreds of feet down. He was near the top of this new cave, and there were all kinds of hanging vines and branches to show for it, and he was sure he could see some bugs and squirrel-like creatures jumping in there.

On a whim, he leapt over the barrier separating him from the rest of the jungle and flew downwards, where he could see several other balconies like his own, hidden well but not impossible to see as he'd just proven. At the bottom of the jungle, the hundreds of sounds combined into a cacophony, and Pesky was glad that his balcony was so high up.

He briefly checked for flowers and egg-like plants of any description, but he couldn't see any so he decided to retreat. As he flew back up though, he noticed many details that he hadn't before. For one, the entire place was lit up by what looked like fireflies, but when he caught one he realized that they were actually some kind of alien bug that he'd never seen before.

The trees, which he'd thought were just really tall, actually grew out of the walls of their cave, and some of them even hung from the roof like stalactites. A couple of them also had some bark removed, and were dripping sap that some of the creatures routinely collected and brought somewhere else. It was strange to see such an alien ecosystem in action, even after everything else he'd seen - well, everything else that he'd fought.

Finally he dropped onto the balcony again, and he locked the door as he went back inside. After another look through his house, he decided to get some rest, but a growl from his stomach reminded him what he was here for.

Pesky sighed, rubbing his aching tummy. There was only one thing for it; he'd head home for now, pick up the Omnitrix, turn human and have what would probably be his last human meal for a long while.

* * *

The Omnitrix was absolutely tiny now, and Pesky wondered if that would make it more likely to mistransform him since it was apparently the blunt trauma that made it randomize or whatever Azmuth had said. He shrugged. Either way, he'd just need to be careful with navigated to the Ben head again, and this time he pressed down the core carefully. The green light flashed as always and he stood at his human height, grinning at himself in the mirror.

Then he realized that he wore a skintight tanktop and a baggy pair of shorts, and he scowled at the watch as had become commonplace. "What did I ever do to you, new Omnitrix?" he asked, and when he didn't get an answer he sighed, pulled off the shorts and put on his regular clothes.

Then he looked at the Omnitrix, and instead of the watch that usually adorned his wrist, there was a Plumber badge. "Whatever, I just have to make sure nobody sees it," he reasoned, but it seemed a little too easy to be true.

He packed up and pelted for the nearest Burger Shack, got some chili fries that tasted just like they always had, then headed home with a full stomach to move a couple of things to his new house, all without incident.

All in all, he thought it was a pretty productive day.

* * *

 **Well, this fic is going nowhere fast. Who knew it would take so long just to get him into a house?**

 **I always wondered why Ben didn't go Upgrade and possess the Omnitrix at any point. My headcanon is that it's possible and he just hasn't thought of it.**

 **Next time, I have no idea. Maybe we'll finally begin the next canon episode, which would be Max's Monster. That'd be fun with Pesky instead of Ben.**


End file.
